Nine states in the union of forty-five states recently have declared that graft exposures have not been in their categories of political publicity for a year. They are Maine, North Carolina, Mississippi, Iowa, Michigan, Colorado, New York, Illinois and California. But who shall say what another six months may bring forth? [Illustration: 30 CENTURIES OF GRAFT LOOKS DOWN UPON ITS HEADLESS VICTIMS] In industrial, commercial and social life of the American people there is not a state in which King Graft has not his court and his following. In the capital of capitals at Washington for generations the powers of government as dreamed of for the republic have been superseded by King Graft time after time, and the impeachment of his princes, grand dukes and courtiers generally have not threatened his reign in future generations. SCORES OF PROUD NAMES SMIRCHED. Within the last few years names that have stood honored for a generation in financial, political and social life have been dragged down from high places perhaps as never before in America. The court of King Graft has been attacked and threatened as never before, and with greater showing. There is war in the open against this pretender king, and his legions everywhere are retiring behind their breastworks, broken but not defeated. Graft in its nakedness, has been exposed and the people are aroused, fearing that the grafter has sucked the life blood of the republic. What they have seen is but a glimpse of real conditions--the ulcer spots where the rottenness beneath has broken through--but they have seen enough to realize the peril and attack it. While the conditions revealed are astounding and alarming, they are signs of improvement. The nation is better than it was a decade ago, since tens of thousands of grafters have been stamped out, since the leaders of the greatest grafts of the land have been exposed to the withering light of contempt of all decent Americans. LIFE OF NATION IMPERILED. Also, born of the conditions, there has arisen a little army of leaders willing to engage the enemy and lead the people against the grafters. They have been raised up to meet the crisis of the nation's life, and with every blow they strike new recruits are joining them in the war against graft. They are still weak, and King Graft and his votaries are still strong, but during the last year the leaders have won some remarkable skirmishes and routed the grafters. [Illustration: WHICH ROAD SHALL HE TAKE? A GRAFTER IN EVERY ROAD. The Public stands at the crossing of the roads, wondering which way he shall go with his money. Wherever he turns he sees a grafter in the road before him. The labels on these seven grafters give the names of a few of those that beset every honest man's pathway. The grafters spend twenty million dollars a year advertising; and they swindle the people out of one hundred and sixty million dollars annually.] NATION, STATES AND CITIES AROUSED.